Sustainable Digitalization: Clarity in Times of Hype

Abstract

Digitalization and sustainability transformations are crucial socio-technical change processes of our times. They are deeply interconnected. The success of sustainability transformations, enabling a future for all within planetary boundaries, are increasingly dependent on the shape that digitalization will take. Digitalization and sustainability as terms are also surrounded by considerable hype. A feature of hype is that associated terms are so often invoked in discussions that they lose their meaning and, in turn, their usefulness. In this brownbag seminar, I aim to restore some conceptual clarity, first to the concept of sustainability, from a sustainability science perspective, and then to the concept of sustainable digitalization, mostly based on work in the ICT for sustainability field. I hope to enter into a discussion about how sustainable digitalization is understood and features in research by the audience. To bring a little bit of spice to the discussion, I will also quickly touch upon why AI is mainly a distraction and will not solve the climate crisis.

Short bio

Dr. Mario Angst is a postdoc and project lead at the Digital Society Initiative of the University of Zürich. A political and sustainability scientist by training, his research focuses on the governance and narratives of sustainability transformations and sustainable digitalization.